After more than a decade of impactful service, Jaganathan Chelliah has officially ended his association with Western Digital. His journey with the company, which lasted more than 11 years including a recent four-month consulting phase, has been marked by impressive achievements, strong partnerships, and a lasting contribution to Western Digital’s marketing success across several key regions.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential marketing leaders in the data storage and technology sector, Chelliah’s contributions have been instrumental in shaping Western Digital’s presence across India, the Middle East, Turkey, Israel, and Africa (IMEA). His leadership helped build a strong brand presence across these markets and led to a number of successful marketing campaigns that were not only well-received but also won multiple industry awards.
Jaganathan Chelliah has over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, with key roles at Intel, Texas Instruments, and SanDisk. At SanDisk, he served as Marketing Director for India before continuing with Western Digital after its acquisition of SanDisk in 2017. As Senior Director of Marketing for India, the Middle East, and Africa, he played a crucial role in expanding the company’s presence in the region across consumer, commercial, and enterprise sectors.
Chelliah shared the announcement in a LinkedIn post, where he recapped key milestones and acknowledged those who supported his journey. Describing his time at Western Digital as the “best phase of his career,” he expressed gratitude for the opportunities and people that shaped his professional growth.
During his time at Western Digital, Jaganathan worked closely with several senior global leaders who he credits for empowering him with the autonomy to pursue ambitious objectives. These include Nigel Edwards, Greg Kwolek, Sven Rathjen, Kristy Morris, B Scott Davis, Pascal de Boer, and Susan Park.
A major highlight of his tenure was the establishment of the Global Creative Development Hub in India, a project that Chelliah championed for over five years. The hub, which became operational in his final months at the company, is now positioned as a creative and strategic extension of Western Digital’s global marketing organization. He acknowledged Ravi Pendekanti, Brian Mallari, and Scott Jackson for their critical support in bringing this vision to life.
Chelliah is also credited with cultivating a strong, results-driven marketing culture that focused on “frugal marketing and innovation.” Under his leadership, the IMEA marketing team consistently secured the #1 brand position across product categories and received multiple industry recognitions for creative excellence and campaign effectiveness. He celebrated the contributions of his team, calling them “rockstars” and commending their creativity, energy, and ability to push boundaries.
Throughout his journey, Chelliah emphasized the strength of collaboration between marketing and sales, praising the unified approach taken in regional operations. Notable collaborators he mentioned include Khalid Wani in India and Tareq Husseini across the METIA region, along with Vivek Tyagi and Khwaja Saifuddin for their ongoing support during their respective tenures at Western Digital.
He also acknowledged earlier mentors Rajesh Gupta and Gopal Swaminathan for their pivotal roles in his transition to SanDisk (later acquired by Western Digital) and his move to Delhi in 2013—moments he described as “turning points” in his career.
Reflecting on the end of this professional chapter, Chelliah expressed gratitude for the people, opportunities, and experiences that shaped his journey. While he has not yet announced his next move, he hinted at a growing interest in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI) and plans to take some time to reflect before deciding on the next phase of his career.
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